…a loud crack! filled the air.
I'haach, Dauhieh, and Zach came out of their teleportation spell feeling slightly disoriented, but otherwise fine. The tram station was rather huge, and filled with people. As Zach had mentioned on their visit to Grand Central Station, they worked in one of the less beautiful places. However, each person on their team knew that if the powers wanted them there, then it was there that they would stay.
They stepped over to the single-rail tracks, and there was Sihm, waiting for them and propping herself up with it so that she could get her fingers best into the matrix of bright threads and strands.
"Hunt's luck, Sihm," I'haach said as he approached her, gazing up and down her beautiful white and light-brown Siamese fur. She was only slightly older than he physically, and Dauhieh and I'haach secretly believed that she was still early on in her lives as well, from how she interacted with others. She was, to be said, rather arrogant with youth, and the magical blast of wizardry which was still quite new to her, was still powerful enough to cloud her judgment. However, she was an amazing linguist, knowing more words and figures in the Speech than all three of them.
"Luck, I'haach," she said distractedly. "Here, take a look at this, Dauhieh."
I'haach and Dauhieh shared an amused look. Always straight to business with Sihm. Dauhieh approached and looked over at the strings.
"See, right here," Sihm said, gently reaching forward and grabbing one string between her teeth. "This little group here is perfectly fine, but that single string, right here, seems to have something wrong with it."
"Alright, Dauhieh, you check that out," I'haach ordered, then turned back to Sihm. "Meanwhile, you can help me with a little problem I have."
"What kind?" Sihm asked as she passed a few strings at a time to Dauhieh. "One that only a linguist could handle?"
I'haach flirted his tail yes as she finished giving the last strings to Dauhieh. He then brought the image of the mystery symbol to his mind and wrote it in the air with his tail. It hung there, glittering and shining in the daylight.
Sihm circled the thing as it hung, a concentrated expression on her face. The symbol was strange. There was a very tall and thin triangle, with a purposeful square in the middle that held a likeness of an eye. Unlike most figures in the Speech, it didn't have a curving or swooping form; it was straight and very well drawn. Finally, Sihm stopped circling, and stared with a confused expression. "I've never seen anything like that."
"No?" Zach asked, getting interested now. "Not even in Jakub's electronic wizard's manual that you're always reading?" Jakub was their human advisory wizard, who shared Sihm's attraction with words.
"No, you don't understand, I'haach. This symbol doesn't exist. There isn't a single symbol in the Speech with a right angle in it, let alone a square. Triangles occasionally, but not that sharply pointed. This isn't a figure in the Speech."
That made I'haach sit down. If Sihm said it, he believed her, and she seemed unusually sure of this.
"For curiosity's sake, where did you find that?"
"Check I'haach's name in the speech."
Sihm's eyes went unfocused as she communicated with the One.
"The Tom's balls," I'haach swore.
"This does complicate things," Zach said, stepping over to him.
"I had really hoped things would calm down after that whole episode with the end of the universe."
"Hey, we're wizards. Time off isn't what we were expecting when we entered our line of work."
"Too true."
"Wow," Sihm, said, exiting her trance, then blinked. This was because the word 'wow' were exactly Dauhieh's vocalised feelings at that moment.
"What is it, Dau?" I'haach asked.
"This thread," she explained, releasing the rest of the strings and simply pulling that one out. "It's malfunctioning. But not because of the gate itself, it's its real world coordinates that aren't responding."
"Meaning…" Zach asked.
"Meaning that there's a ripple with wizardry at those coordinates, and it's powerful enough to affect the gates," I'haach answered for her.
They were silent for a short while. Anything real word that was powerful enough to affect the gates, no matter how little, was going to be huge. Then Dauhieh continued.
"Also, there's one more problem. This problem has been in place for roughly… eight months."
"If it's been there for eight months, why haven't we picked it up before?" Zach asked.
"Feel it," she said, and passed him the thread.
He took it, and felt along its length. "There's nothing there."
"Try about an inch to downwards."
He slowly ran his claw down. For a split second, his face lit up with understanding, then that look disappeared. He was confused for a second, then ran it up a slight bit more… there. "Less than a claw's width."
"Exactly," Dauhieh said. "It's tiny. Hardly noticeable. No wonder we missed it. Besides, we don't usually check this string."
There was silence again. Then, finally, I'haach said, "Well, I guess we've got two things to do."
"List them," Zach said.
"Well, first of all, we need to find out where this is and what is wrong with it. Is that thing wide enough to open a gate there?"
"No, just too small," Dauhieh said, and Zach nodded his assent.
I'haach hissed in annoyance, then continued. "In that case, I'm sending the three of you to Berlin to visit Jakub. Get clearance to do a manual check down world. There, you'll have to get the saurians to find the source of our problematic string. One of you will have to operate the gate from down there, while the other two go where you need to go, and find out what's wrong. If necessary, I'll clear a low level timeslide to eight months ago to find out what happened. Is that clear?"
"Yes, kitten," Zach said.
"Where will you be, per chance?" Sihm asked.
"I," I'haach informed them, "will be in New York finding out what this symbol means and where it came from."
"Why New York?"
"Firstly because that wizard Dairine lives there, and she's got an amazing wizard's manual computer for these sorts of things. Secondly, because I need to check in with Rhiow on her situation. Finally, to find a piece of pastrami for Dauhieh."
"Don't leave me out of that part of the plan."
"Or me."
I'haach's whiskers went forward. "Understood. Zach, would you mind opening that gate for me?"
"Already done," Zach said, and the gate opened up to Grand Central Station. It was dark. "It's only three o'clock there."
"I'm sure that Rhiow won't mind," I'haach said, leaping through. He turned before the gate closed, and said, "Oh yeah, and by the way. It's nice having the two of you back on the team."
"Great being back, kitten."
With that, the rip closed, and I'haach was alone in the dark station. He started forward, and started heading to a far away apartment building.